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| Leslie Banks served with the 1st Marine Division at Okinawa. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42421605 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Marine_Division_(United_States) |
Leslie was born January 24, 1919 in South Carolina. His parents Douglas and Belle were also born in South Carolina. His father worked as a foreman for a railroad and as manager of a filling station. Leslie had one older sister, one older brother, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. In 1940, Leslie had completed three years of high school and was living with his parents in Chester, South Carolina and working as a granite polisher in a quarry.
He enlisted in the US Marine Corps in September 1940 and went thru boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. At some point, he married the former Kathleen Jones, and they had a daughter. Leslie became a PFC in the First Marine Division, which was nicknamed “The Old Breed”. The First Marine Division deployed to New Zealand in June 1942 in preparation for combat operations in the South Pacific. On 7 August 1942 the First Marine Division landed at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, the first major ground offensive of the war. After four months of intense combat, the First Marines were relieved and went into garrison in Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia to rest and refit. The First Marines went back into action in December 1943 at Cape Gloucester, and then assaulted Peleliu in September 1944.
On April 1, 1945 the First Marine Division took part in the invasion of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault of World War II. Over the next two and a half months, the First Marines endured a series of grinding attacks under incessant artillery fire, as heavy rains flooded the battlefield into a sea of mud. PFC Banks was killed on June 10, 1945, only a few weeks before the last remnants of Japanese resistance were eliminated.
Leslie Thomas Banks is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Chester, South Carolina. His wife remarried in 1948 and passed away in 1994.
Thank you PFC Banks for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Leslie.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled P-51 pilot and POW William Gambill. You can read about William here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
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